The Road to Confidence
by PandaInTheStars
Summary: Will never really believed in ghosts. But then again, she never really believed she would talk to the man of her dreams either.  OC/No Mary Sue
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The café was small. It was squashed between a clothing store selling wares that could only be described as 'dark' and an antiques shop run by an elderly couple whose name nobody could remember. It was situated in a way that you could only really see it if you were going to one of the other stores and happened to turn your head right or left, respectively.

Naturally, upon entering the café you would realize that _this _was the place you were going to spend your lunch breaks from now on. Four tables, a bar, and a black-and-white checkered floor. It was all you needed. You would sit at one of the tables (for, of course, one would always be open) and order your usual: a breakfast sandwich and your coffee. Your coffee had to be brewed in an extra special way in order for you to enjoy it.

They got it right first time. And every time after that.

Two waitresses worked at the café. They were complete opposites of each other. One was tall with dark skin and frizzy hair. She had an impish smile and winked at all the more attractive men that wandered into the café. Her name was May.

The other waitress was relatively short with brown, limp hair that hung around her thin glasses. She spoke rarely if you were a stranger and amiably if you were not. When not attending someone she could usually be found with her nose buried in a book. Her nametag declared her to be Wilhelmina. Everyone called her Will.

A small bell tinkled and a young man in a business suit strolled into the café. May's mouth twitched in a smile and she nudged Will. "Look," she said in a stage whisper. "It's him."

Will raised her head out of her book. She caught sight of the man and quickly ducked her head away, blushing. "May…" she whispered, chidingly.

"Go talk to him," May insisted.

"I… May… He's a customer…"

"Go take his order, then," May said, a smile creeping across her face.

Will shook her head at May and made her way across the tiled floor, paper and pencil in hand to take his order. Not that she needed them, of course; she already knew what he wanted.

"Good morning, Mr. Harris."

Mr. Harris raised his head, his face crinkling in a slight smile. He had glowing brown hair and rich, chocolate brown eyes. He had been coming into the café regularly for almost a month now and it was no secret Will had a major crush on him.

"Morning, Will."

"What'll it be? Your usual?"

Mr. Harris pretended to look down at his menu. "Nah, going to go for something different today. I'll have the bacon breakfast sandwich and a small, decaf, nonfat coffee, no milk, no sugar."

Will smiled. This was their routine. And this was the part where she didn't remind him that that was what he ordered every day. "Your order will be with you shortly."

She returned to the counter and stuck the order where the cook would see it. May approached her.

"So, what's his name?"

"What do you mean, 'What's his name?' His name is Harris," replied Will, attempting to keep herself busy folding napkins instead of staring dreamily across the café to where the man in question sat, reading the paper.

"Not his _last _name. What's his _first _name?" May practically whined.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"God, Will, come on! You've been crushing on this guy for weeks! Everyone knows it, so why don't you get to know him a little bit?"

"May, I don't have time for anything, let alone a relationship. Besides, he's far too old for me."

"Will, you're twenty-four. He can't be more than thirty. I'm guessing twenty seven to twenty eight. He is absolutely your age."

"May, look at him. He's probably some successful business pro. What would he want to do with a waitress like me?"

"Will, look at me, honey." May grabbed Will's reluctant shoulders and turned her until they were facing each other. "You are a smart, attractive lady with a bright future. What man wouldn't want to go out with you?"

Will looked away and frowned. "I'm not sure about the attractive part," she said, eyeing her reflection on the countertop.

"Don't say things like that, Will," May said, touching her friend's arm, gently. "Look at me. Will, look at me."

Will raised her head to look at May. "That's right," said May. "Listen, one day you're going to have to talk to him. For real, I mean, not anything about sandwiches and coffee. And I really would like that day to be before we're all white-haired and senile."

Will couldn't help it. She chuckled. May smiled. "Now listen," she continued. "I'm really, really sorry about this, but Derek said he would take me to the theatre tonight. Are you okay taking the late shift?"

Will briefly thought over her schedule for the day. "Yeah, it's fine. I've got nothing going on today."

"Thank you, Will! It's going to be amazing. We're seeing _The Phantom of the Opera_. It's going to be so romantic!"

Will smiled and chatted with May for a few more minutes before returning to her book. Every now and then she would sneak a peek at Mr. Harris, before blushing and looking down again.

* * *

><p>The day wore on. A small but consistent stream of customers passed through the café doors. The sun sank lower and the light dimmed. The café became so quiet that the only audible noise was the buzzing of the fluorescent lights over the tables.<p>

Will sat at the bar, trying to keep her eyes open. She glanced at the clock. 11:00. She could go back to her apartment in two hours. Yawning, she tried to keep her attention on the book in front of her. A wind was picking up outside and it howled incessantly past the café. Hm. She would probably wait until the storm died down until she went home.

Suddenly the bell rang and the door slammed open. The wind whooshed into the café, ruffling the menus and causing a chill to run down Will's spine. She whirled around to face the person who had just entered.

At first his face was obscured by a black hoodie. The figure yanked the door closed and then lifted pale hands to pull the hood down. He twisted his head to look at Will. She gasped. He was a raven-haired young man with a haunted expression.

He had startling blue eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Is this place open? I saw the light – didn't see anybody inside, though…" the young man said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Will blanched and then swallowed. "Oh…Oh yes, we're open. I'm the only one here, though," she said, trying to imply that he shouldn't order anything spectacular. She could make most of the items on the menu, but that was the cook's job, not hers.

"I see, I, um, I'm just passing through. Can I have some coffee?" he said quickly, making his way toward the counter.

"Of course," said Will. Coffee was the one thing she could make, _no problem_. "What would you like?"

"Oh, uh, black, caf, milk and two sugars," he said, sitting down.

Will nodded and went to the coffee making machine. She almost began making Mr. Harris's usual order, before remembering. She smiled. She just couldn't get Mr. Harris out of her head.

She brought the steaming cup of coffee back to the man who took it gratefully. She then stood awkwardly a couple of feet away to watch him drink it. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights seemed especially loud.

The silence was broken unexpectedly by the man himself. "Wilhelmina," he said. "That's a nice name."

"Everyone calls me Will."

The young man smiled. "Funny, my girlfriend's name is Samantha, but everyone calls her Sam."

Girlfriend. That was good, Will realized. She had been a bit apprehensive when the stranger had walked into the café at such dark hours and she had been completely alone.

"You're probably wondering why I'm out so late."

"Not really. This is Chicago, after all."

He sipped his coffee, thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah. Must be the small town in me talking."

"Where're you from?" Will asked, happy that she could make such polite conversation with a complete stranger.

"Amity Park. It's a few hours south of here."

"Amity Park!" she whispered, hoarsely. Everyone had heard of that place. She leaned on the table, curious. "Isn't that supposedly the most haunted place in the US?"

"Supposedly?" asked the man. "I take it you don't believe in ghosts?"

Will smiled shyly and looked away. "It's not – Well, it's just hard for me to believe in anything really paranormal. Plus, I can see how something like that could be easily hoaxed."

The man nodded. He was smiling, as if sharing some private joke with himself. "Why is it so hard for you?"

"Well, I guess it's because I've never been one for ghost stories. And I'm majoring in physics."

"Ah. Science and belief don't mix, I take it."

Will replied by frowning slightly.

"You're in college?" the man continued, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Grad school. That's why I'm here. I'm paying my way through."

"I see."

The silence took over for a few minutes.

"Have you ever seen a ghost?" Will asked, suddenly.

"I thought you didn't believe in them." He raised his eyebrows.

"I don't want to believe in them, but I don't want to believe a lie."

"Which is the lie? That ghosts exist or they don't?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

The man sipped his coffee, thoughtfully. He licked his lips.

"My name's Danny."

"It's nice to meet you Danny." Will wondered vaguely why he was evading the question. It was then that she noticed that the temperature had dropped several degrees in the café. "Would you excuse me? I think the thermostat slipped or something."

"No, it's alright." He seemed sad, suddenly, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

Will returned and leaned on the counter again. "So, come on, have you seen a ghost or haven't you?"

Danny smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, I have. But whether you believe I have is another matter."

"Have you seen Danny Phantom?"

The man twisted to look at her, his eyes wide. "You've heard of him?"

"The whole world's heard of him! He's being called the biggest hoax since that yeti film."

"Hoax," he whispered. "Yes, I guess that's what people would think." He seemed to draw in upon himself a little bit. "What do you know about him?"

"Only what I've heard from the news and the internet. Isn't he supposed to fight ghosts? I saw a grainy video once, but it could have been someone throwing a pie plate in the air, for all I know."

"Maybe he just wants to stay out of sight."

"Maybe, but that's awfully convenient."

"I suppose." Danny finished his coffee. "Can I have some more?"

Will took the empty mug. "Are you sure you don't want decaf? You're going to be up all night."

"I'm up all night most of the time, anyway."

Will narrowed her eyes and went to make the coffee. She had never had such a long conversation with one of her customers before, and never about such an out-there topic. Will had always considered herself open-minded about these sorts of things, but there was a time when it became too much. Especially since she wanted to go into the sciences.

What did he mean he was up all night most of the time? Will realized she hadn't asked him what his job was. She finished making the coffee and returned to the counter.

"So, Danny, what do you do for a living?"

"Me? I'm a private investigator."

"A private eye, huh? That must be interesting."

"I've got a knack for being invisible when I need to be." He smirked, but Will didn't know why. "And you? What are you going to do with that physics degree?"

"I'm probably going to go into academia, but I'd really like to work at CERN laboratories."

"Smashing atoms, huh? That's a big dream."

"It's what I've always wanted. And no matter what happens, I'm going to work toward that goal."

"I always wanted to be an astronaut, you know. I spent years learning how I could get into the space program. Life will throw you some curve balls, though."

"Are you saying I shouldn't even try?"

"No, I'm saying you should never, ever give up. You've got to be confident, and roll with the punches. Literally, in some cases."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I think I've got a problem with confidence."

"Oh?"

"I can't even talk to the guy I like."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too – " Suddenly Danny was cut off by a blue mist leaving his mouth. Will was astonished.

"I'm sorry. I knew it was getting cold in here, but I didn't realize – "

"Be quiet." His voice was thick and firm. Instantly, Will shut up. Danny was getting up, quickly scanning the café for _something_. His mouth was set in a smooth, hard line. "Get under the counter. Don't. Make. A sound."

Will complied, even though she had no idea what was going on. She could hear Danny's footsteps walking away from the counter.

For a few precious seconds, there was nothing but silence.

Then there was a green flash, and the glass windows of the café exploded.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The force of the explosion pushed Will out from behind the counter and a few stray bits of glass rained down on her. She whimpered as they scratched her face.

Where was Danny? He had been right in front of the windows! She got to her feet unsteadily and surveyed the damage. Glass covered the black and white tiles. Table three was cracked and the upholstery was torn apart. Will gasped. No, not their little café. _Not Mr. Harris's table!_

There was no sign of Danny. Tears of shock ran down Will's face as she picked her way over the glass to where the windows formerly were. What was that? A car bomb? She peered into the blackness of the night. No, it couldn't be, at least from what she could see. Several other buildings were damaged and belching green flames. The windows of the entire block were shot and she could hear screaming.

She still couldn't find Danny. And there was no sign of blood in the café except for her own. How was that possible? He was _right _in front of the windows.

Suddenly there was another bright green flash. Will instinctively ducked, but instead of the café, the hardware store across the street was hit with some kind of fireball. It blasted the brick building and the shock knocked Will to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to locate the source of the destruction.

There was nothing. It had seemed to come out of the air, but when she looked up all she could see were the stars.

"WHO ARE YOU?" screamed a voice coming from the road. Danny! Will watched him walk down the middle of the road, striding confidently amongst the debris and the rubble. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!" Had he seen the attacker? Will looked up and down the road, but could see nothing. Her eyes returned to Danny. There wasn't a scratch on him. How was that possible? He should have died!

The chill in the air had intensified. Will shivered. It was April! It wasn't supposed to be this cold! She looked down. The frost crept spider-like across the glass. It almost seemed malevolent.

Then she heard the laughter. It was cold, heartless laughter that echoed around the street, mockingly. It made Will want to run and hide and never show her face to the light again. But somehow she was frozen to the spot, unable to even clamp her hands over her ears.

The laughter changed into a cruel voice that seemed to shake her very soul. "Believe me, halfa, I don't intend to hide."

And then she saw it. It wasn't human – it couldn't be. It floated thirty feet in the air. Two blazing red eyes filled with hatred like she had never seen before stared down at the young man in the middle of the street. It was enormous and dangerous and green and _transparent_.

It was a ghost. Will choked on a small sob. She silently sent prayers to all her loved ones. To her mother. To May. To Mr. Harris. If only she could move, maybe she could run away. But the monster – the _ghost _– she couldn't stop staring at it. Flames from the surrounding buildings framed its horrible visage. Petrified – the word sprang unwanted to her mind. She was petrified. Too scared to move.

Danny, however, didn't seem to be having this problem. "Why are you here?" he asked in a voice akin to thunder.

"I'm following you, of course. There's nothing else for me here in this dirty city."

"You have caused all this damage… You have _hurt _people… because you were following me?" His voice was ominously calm.

"Why, yes. And now I will be the one to claim your life, ghostboy. Or should I say ghostman?"

Danny looked down and shook his head. Will couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of _power _radiating off of him. "You know, a lot of people have said that to me in the past ten years. And you know what? It's funny." He fake-laughed. "I'm still here."

"Then let's rectify that, shall we?" A burst of green energy – the same green fireball Will had seen before, only much, much, larger – emanated from the ghost and slammed into Danny, full force. Will cried out. Danny was dead! She couldn't believe it. She had just witnessed _a ghost murder someone_. She –

The smoldering remains of the fireball suddenly shifted. And rising out of the ashes like a phoenix was Danny, bruised and bleeding. Why wasn't he running? Why wasn't he _dead?_

"That was a really bad idea, you know," he said, and a shiver ran down Will's spine at the confidence in his words. He turned around as if checking to see if anyone was watching. He didn't seem to notice Will. "Do you want to know why?"

The ghost smirked, or at least that was what Will assumed the grotesque shift of its features was. "Oh, do enlighten me."

"That was a bad idea because now. I. AM. ANGRY!"

What Will saw next was something she would not forget for the rest of her life. For as Danny finished his last sentence he seemed to _change_. A bright light emanated from his waist and traveled up and down his body. In its wake it caused his skin to glow with an ethereal light. A black suit and white gloves replaced his hoodie. But the most startling change was his hair. Instead of the jet-black it was a now a crisp white, like that of Will's grandmother before she died.

Then his eyes snapped open. No, Will thought. That was the most startling change. They glowed a sick, toxic green. They were as green as the ghost's eyes were red.

He was as dangerous as the ghost. No. He was more dangerous than the ghost. He wasn't human, not by any means.

Or rather, he was _more_ than human.

He was Danny Phantom.

Will could only watch what happened next through dazed eyes. Phantom (Danny?) flew at the ghost, his hands blazing green. The ghost dodged at the last minute, but Danny didn't miss a beat. He twisted around, firing blast after blast with his hands.

The ghost avoided the blasts easily. It chuckled. "Is that the best you can do?" It then seemed to explode with green energy. Will jumped underneath the table as every car on the street burst into flames. The ball of energy engulfed Danny and for a moment it lit the street up like day.

Will cautiously peeped out from underneath the table. Danny was not a smoldering pile of ashes like she expected him to be. He was still hovering in the air, encased in some kind of green shield. Will gave a crazy smile. He was alright!

"No," Danny said, shaking his head. "That's not the best I can do." He opened his mouth and _screamed_. Any glass that wasn't already broken shattered. Will clamped her hands over her ears. She could have been screaming as well. She didn't know. She couldn't hear anything except that horrible noise.

Then it stopped. Will took her hands away from her ears. She looked out at the street. The ghost seemed small and defeated. It wasn't much more than a green blob resting on the street. Danny was also on the ground. He was on his knees, panting, his hair flopped over his eyes. He seemed like he was about to pass out any minute.

"It's over," he said. He reached down and picked up something. It was silver and cylindrical. "It's over."

"Are you sure?" the ghost rasped. Will didn't understand. The ghost was definitely not in a shape to put up a fight now. And yet it was – smirking? "You should give your opponents a little more credit, halfa. I'm not as dumb as you think."

At first Will thought they were shadows. The crept and slinked over buildings and out of alleys. But then she saw the green light and the red eyes. Ghosts. Dozens of them. And they were all looking at Danny.

"I brought reinforcements."

* * *

><p><em>I wrote this listening to a combination of Beatles and Monkees music. RIP John, George, and Davy. <em>


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Will was frozen to the spot. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

_An object at rest…_

Will blinked. What? Now was the time to run away and never turn back. Now was the time to scream and cry and beg for mercy. Now was most definitely _not _the time to be thinking about sixth grade science class.

Will turned, planning to get out through the back door of the café.

And came face to face with a ghost.

It was a sickly green mass of decaying flesh. It dripped on the black and white tiles and a mouth full of jagged teeth grinned at Will's shocked expression. Blazing crimson eyes locked on to hers and Will was again paralyzed with fear. She watched as the jaw opened wider and wider before the ghost launched itself at her head.

…_tends to stay at rest…_

Her eyes widened.

Time seemed to slow down. Will ducked underneath the ghost, rolled across the broken glass, and then was up, running, running for her life. She crashed through the door of the café into the street. She didn't know what was going on anymore. Hell, she didn't know which way was up.

She caught sight of Danny. He was in the center of the street, fighting for his life. It seemed like all the ghosts in the world were attacking him, although it couldn't be more than thirty. The original ghost was growing stronger, Will could see that. It seemed that every time a shot got through Danny's shield, causing him to wince in pain, the ghost swelled in size, a malevolent grin gracing its features.

Some of the ghosts were coming towards her. She couldn't run, she knew that now. They were too fast. She had to do something. There was nowhere to hide. She couldn't fight back like Danny. She didn't have any weapons…

Or did she?

Will caught sight of the metal cylinder that Danny had been holding before. He had picked it up just after he thought the ghost was defeated. Was it some kind of weapon? She ran over and picked it up, keeping an eye on the ghosts the entire time.

On closer inspection, it looked like a thermos. Of course, thermoses didn't generally have electrical wiring covering the exterior. There was a button close to the lid. Will turned it over in her hands. She couldn't see any bullets or any place that those green blasts could come out.

The ghosts were getting closer. Will glanced down at the thermos. Oh, well. It was this or nothing.

She aimed the thermos at the ghosts.

…_while an object in motion…_

And pushed the button.

A swirling blue and white vortex erupted from the thermos. Incredibly, it kicked _forward_, causing Will to almost lose her balance. Her aim swung violently but she managed to catch one of the approaching ghosts. It screamed, but the scream seemed to be more of frustration than pain. It was sucked down the vortex into the thermos. The vortex died down, leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.

Well this was handy.

The ghosts seemed to be hesitating about approaching her now. Will grinned. Now it was she who had the upper hand. Smiling maniacally she aimed the thermos at the other ghosts and pressed the button.

…_tends to stay in motion._

Ghost after ghost vanished into the thermos. Will actually laughed. Now she could help Danny! She ran into the fray in the center of the street, swinging the thermos around wildly.

"Don't point that thing at me!" cried a weak voice. Will glanced at over. It was Danny. "It'll suck me in as well!"

Taking this into account, Will began to wield the thermos with a little more practice, trying to avoid Danny as much as possible. Now that the number of ghosts was reduced, she was able to get closer to him.

"Stop sucking in all the little ghosts," he wheezed, clutching his chest. Had he been injured? "The thermos will fill up. They'll get out." Will glanced down at the thermos and there did seem to be a green wisp coming out of it, as if it were packed to the hilt with ghosts. "We need to get the big one. He's the one that's controlling them all."

'We'? Will wasn't sure she liked the word 'we' right now. She looked up at the ghost that was now almost as tall as the tallest building on the street. She started breathing a little faster. In fact, now that she thought about what was going on, her hands were starting to shake. Her little café. Her little café was destroyed. And now she was probably going to die.

"Will?" She felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She twisted around to look at Danny. "Will, I'm so sorry about all this." He gestured to the street that looked like it came out of some sort of war film. "This is all my fault, and I know that. But I'm too weak to fight that ghost on my own. I need your help. Please."

Will took a deep breath. Only this morning she had been blushing at the glances from Mr. Harris. Her only care in the world had been her grades and Mr. Harris' opinion of her. Now she felt thousands of years old. She felt like the weight of the world had been thrown haphazardly onto her shoulders.

But he was right. There was no telling what this ghost would do if it continued its reign of destruction. They had to stop it, right here, right now. Danny needed her help. Shuddering, she took a deep breath. Confidence. That was what she needed right now. And standing there, with a smoldering, ghost-catching thermos in her hand and an undead monster glowering down at her, Will realized that she had it. Confidence wasn't just not having any fear. Will knew she was afraid. Confidence was acknowledging that fear and finding a way around it.

Because Will _knew _they could succeed. They had to.

"What do I do?"

* * *

><p><em>So I was all like "I'm going to write fanfic this week!" and school was all like "No."<em>


	5. Chapter 5

When Will was very small she would have nightmares. The ghosts and goblins under her bed were coming to eat her. She would jump off her bed and run to her grandmother's room, where the elderly woman would talk to her and comfort her until she finally fell asleep again.

When she was 16 she saw the first mention of Danny Phantom on the nightly news. She didn't believe it of course. Her mind was filled with atoms and elements and acceleration and velocity. The ghosts and goblins had long since ducked their heads and hid away.

Her grandmother died before she graduated from the University of Chicago. Danny Phantom was still in the back of her mind, there, nagging, giving her hope to see her grandmother again. But of course she never would. Because ghosts weren't real, of course.

* * *

><p>Will decided that if she ever got out of this alive she would never, ever pick up a firearm again. Danny had given her what appeared to be a silver gun with green tubes running down the sides. It shot green blasts, like a more precise version of the energy the ghosts gave off. Her job was to attack the ghost from behind while Danny took the front. When he determined the ghost was weak enough he would give the signal for her to suck it in into the thermos.<p>

This was not as easy as it sounded. While shooting the monster's back wasn't hard (it was paying most of its attention on Danny), the other ghosts would keep rushing toward her with open jaws and blazing eyes. She shot each of them in turn, getting used to aiming the weapon. The ghosts couldn't be that strong, because they dispersed in a green mist the instant the blast connected with them.

The big ghost roared and rushed forward. Will couldn't see what was going on, but this couldn't be good news for Danny. She turned her attention away from the smaller ghosts and started shooting the large one in the back repeatedly. Bam. Bam. Bam. The ghost didn't turn. It didn't flinch. It kept oozing forward. Its arms were moving. Was Danny…?

"Will! Now!"

That wasn't the signal they had agreed upon, but the meaning was obvious. Will whipped out the thermos and pointed it straight at the ghost. It turned, as if noticing her for the first time. It looked down on Will, a smirk gracing its grotesque features.

"Do you really think your pathetic little toy can hurt me?" it snarled. Now that it was turned, Will could see that Danny was clutched, struggling, in the ghost's left hand.

Will gritted her teeth and moved her finger toward the button on the thermos.

"Please. You're no match for me."

She breathed heavily. This was it. For Mr. Harris. For May. "You destroyed my café," she growled, and it was all she needed. She slammed down the button on the thermos and the swirling white vortex erupted, sucking in the ghost as it screamed and screamed and screamed.

Danny fell to the street with a thump.

The other ghosts, seeing their leader gone, cackled and disappeared down the side streets. Danny looked at Will. "I have to go after them. I can't – I won't let them cause any more damage. Stay here." Numbly, Will handed the gun and the thermos over to Danny. He vanished into the night.

It was eerily still. Will took a step forward and heard something clink under her shoe. She looked down. It was another piece of broken glass. Her eyes wondered up to the remnants of her little café. It looked like it had been bombed. The entire street was torn apart at the seams.

Will sat down in the middle of the street, not caring about the debris. With tears streaming down her face, she stayed there.

* * *

><p>Mr. Harris stared at the remains of his favorite breakfast locale. The glass was gone, the tables were cracked and the entire place looked like it had been destroyed by some terrible war. He tried to form a coherent thought in his head about what he felt about all this but only seemed to be able to gape like a goldfish.<p>

"They're saying it was some kind of extremist attack," a voice said behind him. He turned to see the waitress from the café, Wilhelmina.

"What are… what are they going to do?" he asked, breathlessly.

"Knock it down. There's no money to rebuild it." He noticed her eyes were red and puffy. It didn't look like she'd slept much.

"What? But…they can't…but…what are you going to do?"

Will was taken aback by the question. "I – wait… do you mean…me?"

"Yeah. Are you okay? What are you going to do now?"

"I'm…I don't know. I'll find a new job…I guess." She choked back a sob and wiped ferociously at her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

Will looked at her café. Then she looked at Mr. Harris. Last night she had fought monsters from the depths of hell and now she was blubbering in front of the man of her dreams. She almost smiled at the irony.

Last night she had fought monsters…Why couldn't she fight her own inner demons?

Will turned and looked at Mr. Harris. "What's your name?" she asked, sniffing.

He blinked. His mouth opened in an 'o.' "Mike," he said, finally. "My name's Mike."

Will dried the last of her tears and faced him, square in the face. "Do you want to go out to eat? I know this little breakfast place. It's not far…"

"Oh, sure! That would be great. And, you're sure you're okay?" Mike said, taking Will's hand.

Will looked at the café, one more time. Yesterday she wouldn't have dreamed she would be holding her love's hand, taking him to breakfast. Yesterday she was stuck, dreaming about her life, not living it. Her life at the café was gone, but perhaps another door had opened. She squeezed Mike's hand. It was amazing what a little confidence could do. She only had to ask.

"Let's go."

The sun rose on a new day.

* * *

><p>May learned about the destruction of the café later that day. She wasn't devastated. She had other jobs she could fall back on. She was worried about Will, though. The café had meant so much to Will and May couldn't seem to get a hold of her. She would learn later that Will was busy enjoying herself with Mike Harris. Until then, she would spend the day telling all her friends that she wasn't hurt in the extremist attack.<p>

That night there was a knock on May's apartment door. Warily, she opened it to see a young man with ebony black hair. He smiled, said hello, and then handed her a business card. He told her to give it to Will. Flustered, she didn't notice he had never said who he was.

The front of the card held the obligatory name and phone number. On the back there was written in messy handwriting _I'm so terribly sorry. I know this isn't much, but I hope it helps you with your dream._

The card didn't reach Will until a week later. By that time she had gone on two dates with Mike Harris, found a new job she liked, and had begun working on her thesis. Her life had changed, for better or for worse and she was still adjusting.

Will called the number on a Tuesday evening. The air was cool and Will was surprisingly relaxed. The voice that replied was crisp and business-like. "Hello? This is Tucker Foley, senior technician at CERN laboratories…"

Will smiled.

END

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><p><em>So, this started in my head as Danny in a cafe being all BAMF and talking to a waitress. Then I started thinking about all the lives that would be affected by ghost attacks and it sort of evolved from there. Anyway, review, critique, whatever! It's all appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!<br>_

_I'm taking the SAT Math 2 test this June. It's not a good excuse for not updating, but I feel like I'm reviewing every single math class I've ever taken, ever. _


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